Memorial Day Weekend

Lots of updates to get down here, after lacking time and a working internet connection over the last couple of weeks. The highlights:

- This May was FAR LESS RAINY than last year. Still, it is too wet to till, and I would not have been able to plant had I not constructed the raised beds last fall.

- Everything planted in the raised beds in April is up and going like (tiny) gangbusters, with the exception of the Golden Purslane. Not bad for a batch of year-old seeds, and kind of ironic considering purslane is actually a weed, and should be easiest of all to grow.

- The chestnuts are in and have funny names. They have already put on a bunch of new leaves.

- Bird action has been non-stop and furious, all the usual: hummingbirds, orioles, bobolinks, goldfinches, tree swallows, red-breasted grosbeak, red-winged blackbirds, woodcock, crows, and eagles. Actually I missed the last eagle sighting. Sharon tried to yell and wave her arms to get my attention from her garden on the other side of the field, but I was too absorbed in digging to notice her or the eagles circling.

- Wild ducklings: captured by Jessie, brooded in plastic box outfitted with chick accessories here since Saturday. Eating, drinking, doing well. I am concerned that they need supervised, protected outdoors time to develop properly, so am working on transfer to a wildlife rehabilitator. If not otherwise employed, would not mind sitting in a lawn chair all day guarding them from foxes.

- Big gardening weekend #2: squash, beans, sunflowers, herbs, cukes. Details to come.

- Chicken coop has not been cleaned yet.

- CSI Richmond: Seems like a long time ago now, but back maybe three weeks ago when Paul Harvey was finishing up fiddlehead season he came upon a fox hole in the woods with a pile of feathers outside. He didn't think they looked like wild turkey feathers. I was able to ID them conclusively as Cuckoo Marans feathers. There was also a pair of Speckled Sussex wings on the ground near the entrance to the burrow.

To wrap up May: The weather guy on the radio pointed out that spring foliage in early to mid-May rivals the fall foliage display. I certainly agree. The new leaves of many trees are reddish when they come out, and the others have that glowing chartreuse quality. It happens fast though, and now everything is fully leafed out and deep green. The lilacs appear just before Memorial Day and smell great. We mow a lot.

1st Hummingbird sighting today

What a difference a year makes. I recall May 2006 to have been constant rain, and here we are this year in the midst of a long, sunny warm stretch. It is forecast to reach 80 degrees in Richmond tomorrow. That is less than a month since we had significant snow cover! I am beginning to think that favas, or any other crop that likes extended mild & cool periods, is NOT for Richmond.

The favas are up and going strong, as are the Brussels Sprouts, radishes, mustards, arugula, spinach, chicory and lettuce. I forgot how strange spinach seedlings look - like grass.

Obtained two horse chestnut seedlings last weekend from Dad's nursery for the offspring of Horatio. They are parked in the shade behind the barn until we get a moment to make up our minds and dig the holes where they will go.

Some peppers are up in the basement.

Big gardening weeekend

Lots of springtime planting action this fine overcast (but not raining!) last Saturday the 28th. Abbreviations: F = Fedco, J = Johnnys, K = Kitazawa, N = Nichols:

Long South Bed
Brussels Sprouts - Oliver (F)
Rhubarb (transplanted from LY)
Borage (F)

In the two NS SE beds (got to get a better naming system for this...)
Chinese Leeks (K)
Bunching Onion - Red Beard (K)
Kale - Tuscan (N), Wild Garden (N)
Mustard - Mispoona (F), Wild Garden (N)
Radish - Korean Tae Baek (K) and Rat-Tail (N)
Swiss Chard - Argentata, Golden, Ruby Red
Beet - Giant Mangold (N)
Spinach - Giant (N)
Forellenschluss lettuce (F)
Chicory - Wild Garden (N)
Mache, Arugula, Purslane, Parsley, Chervil, Dill, Cilantro (mainly F)
Carrot - Tonda Di Parigi (F)

Crows methodically removed all but two of the germinating peas in the pea/fava bed. Rather than re-plant peas this year, I put the Dutch Shallots (F) and All Star Salad Mix (J) on either side of the favas, which are just emerging now. This and the other newly planted beds are now protected from birds by deer netting draped over stakes.

Green Mountain and Rose Finn Apple split the potato bed. (Fedco/Moose Tubers)

And don't forget the whole 4' x 16' garlic bed planted last fall, growing strong since being uncovered weeks ago!

Sunday was misty/rainy, and Kavi helped me hang the deer netting on the fence. Kavi remarked that the activity of stomping around in the mud on a rainy 45 degree day was "very English." Of course the Red Winged Blackbirds and Tree Swallows were out in force, the swale was running high and everything was green and smelled wonderful. Kavi is a very good sport, and I enjoyed myself immensely.

The tomatoes in the cellar were up as of yesterday - only five days to germination. No peppers yet.

We saw a bluebird yesterday and begged him to move into the white house. I hung the hummingbird and oriole feeders, but no sightings yet. The first dandelions are out today, forsythia has been blooming for a couple of days.

Going to MA this WE and will return with some Horse Chestnut trees. Happy hatch day to the chicks tomorrow! Ten survivors out of seventeen...and people ask me why I don't have kids.